George Russell was left ‘kicking’ himself after finishing fifth in Monaco, over a mistake that cost him a podium.
Meanwhile, his team mate Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth, was happy with the performance of the upgraded W14.
Russell started in eighth and made it all the way up to third, as he opted against pitting, while the drivers ahead chose to swap the tyres. As a result, Russell gained track position when the rain commenced, and all the drivers were forced to pit for the intermediates.
However, a mistake on his first lap out of the pit lane saw him lose position to Esteban Ocon and Hamilton, and to make matters worse for Russell, he also collided with the back marking Red Bull of Sergio Perez, much to his frustration.
“I’m kicking myself to be honest, one small mistake cost us a podium,” said Russell.
“I came out of the pits comfortably ahead of Esteban and Lewis, there was a yellow flag at Turn 5, I backed off and as soon as I pressed the brakes I locked up and followed the yellow flag.
“I think that’s almost a lesson that when you’re not focussed sometimes – or not on it – that’s when mistakes happen. I probably wouldn’t have made that mistake if there hadn’t been a yellow flag there.
When reminded that it was tough conditions for all the drivers, Russell responded: “Yeah, it definitely was, it wasn’t the easiest conditions. But they were conditions where I feel like we can maximise the opportunities.
